Social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, filed a lawsuit against the nonprofit organisation Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), which fights hate speech and disinformation. X accused CCDH of making false claims and encouraging advertisers to stop investing in the platform.
Earlier, it was reported that X, which is owned by Elon Musk, had sent a letter to CCDH threatening to sue for unspecified damages. In response, CCDH’s lawyers accused X of intimidating those advocating against incitement, hate speech, and harmful online content and stated that X’s allegations lacked factual basis.
The lawsuit originates from a media report in July, which cited CCDH’s research claiming an increase in hate speech towards minority communities on X’s platform since Musk acquired the company in October 2022. X and its CEO, Linda Yaccarino, refuted the report as false and based on incorrect, misleading, and outdated metrics from the period shortly after Twitter’s acquisition.
CCDH’s founder and CEO, Imran Ahmed, stated that hate and disinformation were spreading on the platform under Musk’s ownership, and the lawsuit was an attempt to silence their efforts. CCDH pledged to continue its independent research despite the legal action.
